‘As If’ by Isabel Waidner, Reviewed

Isabel Waidner’s latest novel, 'As If', follows the surreal intersection of two actors, Lewis and Korine, who share an uncanny resemblance and wives with the same name. After meeting in a Central London sublet, the pair decide to swap lives: the younger Korine takes over a high-stakes audition for the grieving Lewis, while Lewis assumes Korine’s domestic and financial burdens. Set against the brutalist backdrop of London’s Barbican and Golden Lane estate, the narrative uses this identity swap to explore the thin line between performance and reality.

Sasaoka Yuriko’s Violent Puppeteering

The Shiga Museum of Art is hosting "Paradise Dungeon," a comprehensive exhibition of Sasaoka Yuriko’s video and sculptural works. The show traces the artist's career from her 2011 response to the Tōhoku earthquake to her latest large-scale installations, characterized by a "grotesque" aesthetic involving marionettes with digitally superimposed human faces. Her work utilizes mediated artifice—including fairground-style soundtracks, repurposed toys, and violent puppetry—to explore themes of consumption, sacrifice, and the dehumanizing nature of digital observation.

Theresa Hak Kyung Cha: Language of the Dispossessed

A major retrospective of artist and writer Theresa Hak Kyung Cha highlights her pioneering work in feminist conceptual art, focusing on videos and performances that explore displacement, language, and the violence of cultural hegemony. The exhibition, born from recent reassessments of her legacy, reconstructs the image of an artist whose brief career anticipated contemporary struggles with nationalism and identity.

Knight Foundation Names 2026 Recipients of Its $50,000 Art + Tech Fellowships

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation has announced the five recipients of its 2026 Arts + Tech Fellowships. Administered by United States Artists, the program awards $50,000 in unrestricted funds to artists LIZN’BOW, Miguel Novelo, Rhonda Holbertson, Taeyoon Choi, and Wesley Taylor. These creators, based in California, Detroit, and Miami, utilize diverse technologies including computer vision, game engines, and custom code to explore the intersection of digital systems and human experience.

At Centquatre, Circulation(s) Highlights the Diverse Perspectives of Young European Photographers

Au Centquatre, Circulation(s)s met en lumière la diversité de regards des jeunes photographes européens

The 16th edition of the Circulation(s) festival has opened at Centquatre-Paris, showcasing the work of 26 emerging photographers from 15 European countries. Organized by the Fetart collective, this year’s festival features Ireland as the guest country and emphasizes the hybridization of photography with other mediums, such as embroidery, tapestry, and digital installations.

In La Défense, a Plunge Between Art and Science into Abyssal Wonder

À La Défense, une plongée entre art et science d’un émerveillement abyssal

The exhibition "Sous l’horizon" (Under the Horizon) has opened in the Salle des colonnes, a massive underground space beneath the La Défense business district in Paris. Guided by a poetic narrative from writer Mariette Navarro and the voice of singer Emily Loizeau, visitors navigate a darkened 1,000-square-meter environment equipped with headlamps and audio headsets. The immersive journey features works by artists including Antoine Bertin, Ugo Schiavi, Jérémie Brugidou, and Shivay La Multiple, exploring the mysteries of the deep sea through bioluminescence, oceanic soundscapes, and futuristic sculptures.

The True Story of the Caravaggio Theft by the Sicilian Mafia Behind the 'Le Complot Caravaggio' Series on Arte

La véritable histoire du vol du Caravage par la mafia sicilienne derrière la série « Le Complot Caravaggio » sur Arte

The article details the infamous 1969 theft of Caravaggio's masterpiece, "Natività con i santi Lorenzo e Francesco d'Assisi" (The Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence), from the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo, Sicily. The painting, a large-scale work measuring three by two meters, was expertly cut from its frame and has never been recovered, remaining second on the FBI's Top Ten Art Crimes list. The theft is widely attributed to the Sicilian Mafia, with theories suggesting it was stolen to order or for use in secret mafia gatherings.

The true story of the Caravaggio theft by the Sicilian Mafia behind the Arte series 'The Caravaggio Conspiracy'

La véritable histoire du vol du Caravage par la mafia sicilienne derrière la série « Le Complot Caravaggio » sur Arte

The theft of Caravaggio’s 'Nativity with Saint Francis and Saint Lawrence' from the Oratory of San Lorenzo in Palermo remains one of the world's most notorious unsolved art crimes. Stolen in October 1969 by professional thieves who cut the massive three-meter canvas from its frame, the masterpiece has been missing for over 50 years. Investigations have long pointed toward the Sicilian Mafia, with various theories suggesting the work was displayed at secret summits, hidden in Switzerland, or tragically destroyed.

Where It Doesn’t Reach at Lo Brutto Stahl

Lo Brutto Stahl presents "Where It Doesn’t Reach," a group exhibition featuring works by Bas Jan Ader, Hélène Janicot, and Park McArthur, running from March 27 to May 2, 2026, at both its Basel and Paris locations. The show brings together three artists whose practices explore absence, gesture, and the limits of perception, with the press release and floor plan available on the gallery's website.

Phillip Lai at Spike Island

The contemporary art space Spike Island in Bristol is hosting a solo exhibition by artist Phillip Lai titled "Rain / Ruin." Running from January 30 to May 10, 2026, the exhibition features a series of sculptural installations and works that engage with the architectural environment of the gallery. The presentation is documented through a comprehensive suite of installation photography by Rob Harris, capturing the spatial relationship between Lai's objects and the industrial character of the venue.

Nora Schultz at Galerie Meyer Kainer

Nora Schultz at Galerie Meyer Kainer

Nora Schultz has opened a new solo exhibition, "Now and The non-watch," at Galerie Meyer Kainer in Vienna. The show, running from January 23 to March 14, 2026, features a collection of new sculptural and installation works documented through 32 images. The presentation is a continuation of Schultz's practice of creating site-responsive pieces that often incorporate industrial materials and explore the mechanics of display.

New Exhibition Explores the Timeless and Perplexing Tradition of “Trompe l’Oeil”

A new exhibition titled "Fool Me Twice" has opened at Robert Lange Studios in Charleston, South Carolina, featuring 20 international artists who explore the tradition of trompe l’oeil—a technique that uses hyperrealistic illusion to blur the line between reality and representation. Works include George Ayers’s "Swamp Frog," where a frog appears to break through the canvas, and Sharon Moody’s "The Year of Great Shocks," a meticulously painted comic book spread. The show runs through May 25, 2025.

Walt Disney Animation Studios Fêtes Female Animation Talent at Animayo

Walt Disney Animation Studios is presenting a special exhibition titled "Whimsy & Wonder" at the Animayo festival in Gran Canaria, Spain, from May 7-10, 2025. The exhibition honors female talent in animation, featuring works by trailblazing color stylist Mary Blair and six contemporary female artists from the studio: Lorelay Bové, Lisa Keene, Brittney Lee, Griselda Sastrawinata-Lemay, Josie Trinidad, and Fawn Veerasunthorn. The show includes art from films such as "Frozen," "Encanto," "Moana 2," and "The Princess and the Frog." Animayo, an Oscar-qualifying animation festival, is celebrating its 20th anniversary with Disney as an official sponsor.

Abi Castillo’s Ceramic Beings Contrast Delicacy With the Natural World

Galician artist Abi Castillo has unveiled a new series of ceramic self-portraits that explore the intersection of femininity, mysticism, and the natural world. Her latest sculptures feature signature wide-eyed figures adorned with organic elements like coral, insects, and flora, which act as a form of delicate armor for the emotive personas. This new body of work was produced in Castillo’s recently acquired larger studio space, which has allowed for expanded creative freedom and scale.

Anoushka Mirchandani Conjures Ancient Mythological Nature Spirits in Vibrant Oil Paintings

San Francisco-based artist Anoushka Mirchandani presents a solo exhibition, 'My Body Was a River Once,' at ICA San José. The show features vibrant oil paintings that depict apsaras, ancient Southeast Asian mythological nature spirits associated with water and transformation, drawing from the artist's Indian heritage and childhood memories of sites like the Ajanta and Ellora caves.

Myth, Masks, and LEGO: Ekow Nimako’s Elaborate Afrofuturistic Sculptures

Ghanaian-Canadian artist Ekow Nimako creates intricate Afrofuturistic sculptures using exclusively black LEGO bricks. His work explores African diaspora mythology, folklore, and cultural phenomena, with recent series drawing inspiration from ceremonial masks, interstellar travel, and geometric forms.

“In corpo presente” at IED, Florence

On Tuesday, April 28, at IED Firenze (former Teatro dell'Oriuolo), the collective performance "In corpo presente" took place as the final act of a research project exploring contemporary meanings of freedom, presence, belonging, and collective action. Since December 2025, 50 students from various disciplines at IED Firenze have been involved in the project, guided by artist Jacopo Benassi.

Dominique White “All Great Powers Collapse from the Centre” at Kunsthalle Basel

Dominique White (b. 1993) presents her solo exhibition "All Great Powers Collapse from the Centre" at Kunsthalle Basel, transforming the galleries into immersive environments with her sculptures. The exhibition evokes a sense of submersion, as if walking along an ocean floor where orientation shifts and measures dissolve, creating a weighty, water-like atmosphere.

Alice Peach “Still Curly” at Iowa, New York

Alice Peach’s solo exhibition "Still Curly" at Iowa, New York, features a series of new sculptures constructed from popsicle sticks. These humble, mass-produced materials are transformed into modular, skeletal forms that mimic biological structures such as spines and torsos. The works are displayed in various states of tension, either splayed against the gallery walls or suspended from the ceiling to create a sense of precarious movement.

Sanna Helena Berger “Difference” at Matteo Cantarella, Copenhagen

Berlin-based Swedish artist Sanna Helena Berger makes her Danish debut with "Difference" at Matteo Cantarella in Copenhagen. The exhibition explores the concept of the remainder—the mathematical and physical space left behind when one value is subtracted from another—through a series of sculptural and spatial interventions.

Diego Perrone “There’s a certain Slant of light” at Umberto Di Marino Gallery, Naples

Diego Perrone presents his first solo exhibition at Umberto Di Marino Gallery in Naples, titled "There’s a certain Slant of light." Taking its name from an Emily Dickinson poem, the show explores the concept of lateral, non-frontal light through a series of experimental works. The exhibition features Perrone’s signature technical mastery, including intricate glass sculptures and works on paper that manipulate transparency and shadow.

Haitham Al Busafi to Represent Oman at 2026 Venice Biennale

Oman has chosen artist, architect, and curator Haitham Al Busafi to represent the country at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. Al Busafi will curate and present his own monumental installation, Zīnah, in the national pavilion, commissioned by the Omani Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth. The work transforms a traditional Omani horse harness into an interactive spatial experience using sand, metal, and sound.

Kazakhstan Presents “Qoñyr: Archive of Silence” at Venice Biennale

Kazakhstan has unveiled details for its national pavilion at the 61st Venice Biennale, titled “Qoñyr: Archive of Silence.” Curated by Syrlybek Bekbota, the exhibition features nine artists including Smail Bayaliyev, Asel Kadyrkhanova, and Ardak Mukanova, and will be hosted at the Museo Storico Navale. The presentation utilizes the Kazakh concept of "Qoñyr"—a term encompassing specific colors, sounds, and scents—to explore themes of Soviet domesticity, nuclear trauma, and cultural heritage through sound installations, video, and archival assemblages.

Mongolia Pavilion Announces Artistic Team for 2026 Venice Biennale

Mongolia has selected artists Nomin Bold, Dorjderem Davaa, Gerelkhuu Ganbold, and Tuguldur Yondonjamts to represent the country at the 61st Venice Biennale in 2026. The pavilion, titled 'Entanglements: Connectivities Across Borders,' will be curated by Uranchimeg Tsultem and Thomas Eller and will explore interspecies relations, spirituality, and historical trade links, specifically the Mongol Empire's 13th-century connections to Venice.

Alessandro Rabottini on the Impact of Artists’ Moving Image

Alessandro Rabottini, artistic director of Fondazione In Between Art Film, reflects on the closing of 'Canicula', the final chapter of the foundation's 'Trilogy of Uncertainties' exhibition series in Venice. The article explores how staging time-based moving-image works interacts with the fast-paced environment of the Venice Biennale, and how artists' film and video have evolved as a medium within the art world.

From street gang to civil rights group, the Young Lords’ impact is on display in a new DePaul art exhibition

The DePaul Art Museum in Chicago has opened a new exhibition titled "Tengo Lincoln Park en mi Corazón: Young Lords in Chicago," curated by Jacqueline Lazú. The show explores the history and activism of the Young Lords Organization, a group that began as a Puerto Rican street gang in the 1950s and evolved into a civil rights advocacy group fighting against displacement and discrimination in Lincoln Park. The exhibition features objects like purple berets, protest art, and photographs, and is the result of decades of collaboration between DePaul University and the Young Lords.

Artfully Aired: Balloon Art Exhibition Opens in Dallas in November

The Balloon Museum, founded in Rome in 2021, will open its exhibition "Let's Fly—Art Has No Limits" at Dallas' South Side Studios on November 22, running through April 26. The multisensory show spans over 65,000 square feet and features large-scale inflatable and air-based installations by 18 international artists, including Sasha Frolova, Lucas Zanotto, Camilla Falsini, and Ouchhh. Created by Italy-based Lux Entertainment, the exhibition explores themes of flight, freedom, and lightness through works like Michael Shaw's 44-meter "Lava Lamp" and Christopher Schardt's 26-foot butterfly sculpture with 39,000 LEDs.

The Irresistible Force of Thinking and Acting Together

Guest curator Greg de Cuir Jr. interviews five prominent artist duos—including Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, and OJOBOCA—to explore the mechanics of collaborative practice and shared life. The participants discuss the origins of their partnerships, ranging from the necessity of navigating new environments like Berlin’s analog film scene to the shared political and aesthetic urgency following the Lebanese Civil Wars.

Zīnah (Adornment): Oman’s Pavilion Tunes the Biennale to Resonance Over Spectacle

At the 60th Venice Biennale, the Sultanate of Oman presents "Zīnah (Adornment)," a pavilion conceived by artist and curator Haitham Al Busafi. The immersive installation, on view at the Arsenale Artiglierie from 9 May to 22 November 2026, draws on the Omani tradition of adorning horses with silver (al-zaanah) to explore themes of relation, movement, and shared presence. Visitors enter through darkness into a field of Omani sand, beneath a canopy of silver elements that respond to movement with sound. The work incorporates drawings by students and emerging artists from a workshop in Muscat, emphasizing collective authorship.

Expo 86-themed events and ‘A Little Art Buzz’ at Surrey Art Gallery in May

Surrey Art Gallery in British Columbia is hosting a series of events throughout May 2026, centered on the exhibition "In the Shadow of the Pavilions: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art." Highlights include a Family Art Jam on May 3, an artist talk with Leah Murray on May 7, a symposium titled "Expo Lines: Expo 86 and Contemporary Art" on May 9, and a curator’s tour with Jordan Strom on May 28. The events explore the artistic legacy of Vancouver’s 1986 world’s fair, which drew 22 million visitors, and feature works by over 50 artists including Bill Reid, Robert Davidson, Debra Sparrow, and Paul Wong.